Safe Haven
by glambertcello
Summary: "Bruce Banner, listen to me. You are just one man. I know you think you could've saved them all, but one doctor can't save a whole city from a disease. You wouldn't have enough supplies, and you might've gotten the disease too. There's nothing you could have done!" Science Boyfriends. Oneshot.


_Sir?_

Tony's eyes snapped up from what he was working on, asking, "Really, JARVIS, was it necessary to turn down the music?" Almost regularly, the genius regretted giving his AI so much intelligence; the system would feel it was absolutely _necessary_ to interfere with him, after he specifically stated that it wasn't allowed to do such a thing.

With a tone that _definitely_ was sarcastic, JARVIS snapped, _I know, you're not fond of me turning down AC/DC. However, Doctor Banner is quickly approaching the labs, and it is absolutely necessary that you speak with him, according to Ms. Romanoff. She is worried he is about to have another episode._

Of course Natasha would be afraid that Bruce would Hulk out any time he raised his voice. For an assassin, big green really freaked her out, and she was always ridiculously cautious about making him angry. Tony knew it was a ridiculous fear, but apparently nobody listened to him anymore. They all thought he was reckless and crazy anyways, so why listen to him?

Assuming that Bruce was merely pissed off, Tony didn't bother setting down his tools as the doors whooshed open, revealing the doctor. However, the moment he saw Bruce's eyes—which were flecked with emerald green—Tony knew that it wasn't Natasha being overly paranoid.

Leaving his work, he calmly approached his dear friend, saying sternly, "Bruce," keeping his voice even so Bruce knew he wasn't afraid. Almost flinching, the curly-haired brunette's eyes flashed toward Tony's, wide with fear.

"St- stay away from m-me," he stuttered out, sinking down so he was squatted on the floor, trying to gain control by shrinking as much as possible. "I don't want to hurt you, Tony."

"You won't," he stated, ignoring his request and approaching him, coming to sit next to him on his knees. His hand came forward, gripping the back of Bruce's head and forcing him to rest their foreheads together, hoping contact would help him focus. As Bruce shook and his eyes slid closed, Tony asked, "Want to talk about it?"

For a moment, he thought Bruce was going to say no, was going to get up, was going to run. Instead, he released a shallow, shaky sigh, and nodded. In a whisper that was barely audible, he said, "I abandoned them."

At first, Tony didn't know what the doctor was talking about. As far as he could tell, Bruce had never abandoned _anyone_; he was always there, unless the Hulk kept him from being there. Even if he had to be on the run, he didn't give up on people.

Not waiting for a response from the billionaire, the scientist continued. "St-Steve and I w-were watching the news, a-and th-they said that they were dying, and oh god, I should've saved them, and-"

"Wait," Tony said, cutting him off. "Who was dying?"

"The people," Bruce insisted, not at all making sense. Obviously, his mind wasn't working clearly, because otherwise, he'd know that he wasn't being very concise.

Moving his hands to rest on Bruce's shoulders—but keeping their heads pressed together—Tony said, "Bruce, _what_ people?"

Hesitantly, as if he might cry, he looked up at Tony with his half green, half brown eyes, and said, "The people I was helping."

For a moment, Tony was confused; he didn't understand who Bruce was talking about. But then, he remembered that Natasha had gathered Bruce from… somewhere. Honestly, Tony didn't recall where Bruce had been. But, Bruce had mentioned that an illness had infected some of the people there, and he had been trying to save them.

Now it all made sense.

"Bruce," he said soothingly, looking into those brilliant eyes. "There was nothing you could've done."

"But I shouldn't have abandoned them! I should've been there, to help fight the disease! Instead, I came here, and decided to stay and forget about them! But they're dying out there, Tony, and I just left them to die!" The doctor was near hysterical, but Tony noticed that the green in his eyes was lessoning, being replaced by chocolate brown. Whatever he was doing, it was working.

Firmer, shifting his hands to Bruce's neck, he said, "Bruce Banner, listen to me. You are just _one_ man. I know you think you could've saved them all, but one doctor can't save a whole city from a _disease_. You wouldn't have enough supplies, and you might've gotten the disease too. _There's nothing you could have done!_"

Now sobbing, Bruce gasped out, "Tony, that little girl was on the news! The one Natasha hired to trick me; her parents are _dead_, and she's dying too!"

"Bruce."

He froze, looking up into Tony's eyes. Tony knew his voice had betrayed him, had betrayed all of the… emotions, the ones he had been trying to hide for so long. The ones that said, _You're more than just my friend. You are my world, and I love you._ He'd been afraid of letting Bruce know, of giving up all of the potential partners for this one man. But now that he was here, comforting the man that he so desperately longed for, and he couldn't imagine himself with anyone else. Not with Pepper, not with some gorgeous girl or guy. No, he saw himself with Bruce, with _only_ Bruce, for the rest of his life. And he didn't mind so much.

"You can't spend your whole life, regretting people who you couldn't save. I know it's a horrible thing to say, but—if they died—they were _meant_ to die. Because, if you had stayed there, to tend to them, there probably wouldn't be a world left. We wouldn't have defeated Loki and the Chitauri without you, and I… I wouldn't be here. You- the Hulk saved me. We would be dead, and… And I wouldn't have you."

Blinking, tears spilling from his eyes, Bruce breathed, "Tony," and leaned forward, their lips coming together to form a soft, tender, beautiful, _blessed_ kiss. Both of them melted into it, relief seeping through their bones; for finally, they had found their release from their demons.

They had found their safe haven.


End file.
